Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
RENO, Nev. — Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis announced a $142 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to enhance drought resilience and boost water supplies nationwide as part of the Investing in America agenda. The selected projects are expected to provide approximately 40,000 acre-feet of annual recycled water, sufficient to support over 160,000 people annually.
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in U.S. history, providing critical resources to bolster Western communities' resilience to drought and climate change. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Reclamation is investing $8.3 billion over five years for various water infrastructure projects, including rural water systems, water storage, conservation and conveyance efforts, nature-based solutions, dam safety measures, water purification and reuse initiatives, and desalination technologies. Since its enactment in November 2021, Reclamation has allocated more than $4.1 billion for over 537 projects.
Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis made the announcement following a tour of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, which will receive $30 million from today's funding to improve water reclamation infrastructure at its Advanced Purified Water Facility.
"The Biden-Harris administration is bringing every resource to bear to ensure that we both minimize the impacts of climate-fueled drought and develop a long-term plan to build resilience and facilitate water conservation,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis. "Access to clean and reliable water is essential for feeding families, growing crops, sustaining wildlife and the environment, and powering agricultural businesses. We also recognize the incredible potential for economic opportunity and job creation as we work together to address the intensifying effects of climate change."
“We must use every tool that works to develop water sources that build resiliency throughout the West,” said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “This funding through Reclamation’s water recycling and desalination construction programs enables partners to develop new water supplies through treatment of water that can be a part of the water supply portfolio.”
Approximately $85 million from today’s announcement will fund six water recycling projects in California, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada, and Texas aimed at reclaiming and reusing wastewater along with impaired ground and surface waters. This funding supports planning, design, and construction efforts in collaboration with local governments.
An additional $57.5 million will be allocated towards four desalination projects in southern California designed to increase flexibility in water management by treating seawater or brackish water.
Projects are funded through both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriations. A full list of projects can be viewed on the Bureau of Reclamation’s website.
Today's announcement builds on a previous allocation of $179 million last month for large-scale water recycling projects intended to help communities develop local drought-resistant supplies by converting previously unusable sources into clean ones. Launched in 2023 due to new funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation's Large-Scale Water Recycling Program incentivizes larger-scale conservation projects without size limitations.
